OUR VIEW: Hold special elections on the same day

The waiting game continues in the 6th Bristol Representative District. While the state officials in charge of setting the date for the special House election don’t seem to feel a great sense of urgency, for the Fall River and Freetown residents now facing taxation without representation, there’s no time to wast...

The Herald News, Fall River, MA

Writer

Posted May. 7, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated May 7, 2013 at 7:22 AM

Posted May. 7, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated May 7, 2013 at 7:22 AM

FALL RIVER

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The waiting game continues in the 6th Bristol Representative District. While the state officials in charge of setting the date for the special House election don’t seem to feel a great sense of urgency, for the Fall River and Freetown residents now facing taxation without representation, there’s no time to waste. The district, which includes the western part of Freetown and the North End of Fall River, deserves to have a voice and a vote in the House.

Unfortunately, the window is rapidly closing to be able to hold the primary election for the recently vacated House seat to coincide with the special election being held to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State John Kerry. The primary for the Senate special election was held on April 30, with the special Senate election set for June 25. The June 25 election would seem to provide the perfect opportunity to hold two special elections on the same day.

Although the wheels were quickly set into motion for the U.S. Senate special election, the 6th Bristol District has been stuck in a frustrating holding pattern. Sullivan, after months of delay, just resigned his House seat April 26. He was expected to start his Housing Authority job on March 4. But due to a series of delays on the state’s part, the Housing Authority’s part, and finally on Sullivan’s part, Sullivan ended up taking the post nearly two months later.

Obviously, the election cycle clock could not start until Sullivan’s resignation was official. Although nearly two weeks have passed since Sullivan left the House, shortening the window to be able to hold the primary on the same day as the special election for U.S. Senate, neither Secretary of State William Galvin nor House Speaker Robert DeLeo have discussed setting the date for the special election. Neither is taking the lead. DeLeo’s office referred questions to Galvin’s office. Galvin’s office this week said the ball’s in DeLeo’s court. “At this point, we’re waiting for them,” Galvin’s spokesman, Brian McNiff, said.

What should be adding to the urgency: In this case, time is money. Since state officials have been dragging their feet, local elections officials in both Fall River and Freetown have pretty much written off the chance of holding the House primary election on the same day as the U.S. Senate election. If it doesn’t, not only will there be a much lower turnout for the election, but it will cost an additional $40,000 for each municipality after the tab for the special elections, which already costs $92,000. There’s been no word on local election boards getting reimbursement for either.

It makes little sense to hold a low-turnout primary just weeks after an election was already held. It’s time for the state officials in charge of setting the special House election to pick the date so the 6th Bristol District can have the representation it deserves. The candidates are ready to go and their campaign machinery is in place. It would be foolish to let the window to hold the two elections on the same day close.

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Freetown Town Clerk Jacqueline Brown said she’s all but given up hope of holding the concurrent special elections. She’s now eyeing dates in July and August for the 6th Bristol election. “The chance of it being combined probably isn’t going to happen,” Brown said. “To have the primary in time, it almost sounds impossible.” But it may or may or may not be possible. The state officials who could answer that question apparently haven’t “figured that out.”

“At some point,” McNiff said, it wouldn’t be possible to hold the U.S. Senate and 6th Bristol election on the same day, “but I haven’t really figured that out.” That shockingly lackadaisical response coming from the office of the commonwealth’s chief elections official doesn’t exactly instill confidence in the electoral process.

It’s been widely known that the 6th District seat would be up for grabs. The interested candidates have been campaigning since January. They’re ready to roll. Galvin and DeLeo should serve the dual interests of fair representation and fiscal responsibility and end the 6th Bristol District’s special election waiting game that has gone on for too long.

After all these delays, the residents of the district deserve to have their new representative seated as soon as possible. Galvin and DeLeo ought to immediately figure out who’s on first and set the election calendar and 6th Bristol District primary for June 25 — before it’s too late.